a six-time All-Star center fielder in the Negro leagues during the 1940s; intense player whose "bad boy" reputation stuck his entire career; played for the N.Y. Black Yankees, Baltimore Elite Giants and Birmingham Black Barons over 17 seasons; a left-handed leadoff hitter, he batted over .300 in 10 different seasons; outstanding athlete who retired in 1953; owned a taxi company and gas station in his native Tennessee.